Rumor: Batman Movie Eyes Skins’ Jack O’Connell

Longstanding speculation that director Matt Reeves’ The Batman will star a younger Bruce Wayne has been given another boost with a new rumor that Jack O’Connell is being considered for the title role.

That Hashtag Show reports Warner Bros. has “expressed interest” in the 28-year-old actor, who rose to prominence on the U.K. drama Skins. Although the website emphasizes it’s been unable to substantiate the rumor, there are indications O’Connell may have been present for a recent meeting between studio executives and Ben Affleck, or else met with Warner Bros. himself.

The rumor arrives mere days after a report that, Affleck, newly out of alcohol rehabilitation, is still interested in returning to the role of the Dark Knight.

O’Connell, whose credits also include 300: Rise of an Empire, Money Monster and Trial by Fire, recently earned acclaim for his role as Roy Goode in the Netflix Western Godless.

He joins a growing list of actors, including Jake Gyllenhaal and Jon Hamm, who have been mentioned as a potential successor to Affleck as Warner Bros.’ Batman. There have been rumors that Reeves’ film is a reboot set early in the icon hero’s career, and thus featuring a younger actor in the title role. While the writer/director has clarified that the movie isn’t based on “Year One,” the influential comic book storyline by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli, little else is known about the project.